A federal grant is expected to boost manpower in the Warren Fire Department, but city officials may hire significantly fewer firefighters than the grant allows.

The $2.79 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency would enable the city to hire 18 firefighters for two years. That’s a welcome financial shot in the arm for Macomb County’s most populated city, which has had declining manpower in the Fire Department for several years.

Unlike some federal funding for first responders, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, or SAFER, requires no local matching funds or a commitment to keep the new hires after two years. However, the city must replace any firefighters who leave the department during that period, including those who retire.

“I’m very grateful to the federal government,” said Fire Commissioner Wilburt McAdams, who wrote the grant application. “It will allow me to sleep a little more restfully.”

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To avoid the possibility of laying off the new hires after two years on the job, the city administration will ask FEMA to consider an alternative.

Mayor James Fouts said Friday that officials will ask the agency for permission to hire 10 new firefighters but to use the funding to keep those new employees on board longer. An amendment being prepared to revise the grant terms is expected to be submitted to the agency very soon.

“The overall concerns are we don’t get in a situation where we use the money and the money runs out and we’re forced to lay off firefighters. I didn’t want to do that,” Fouts said. “It’s a fair compromise. It’s a reasonable proposal we could handle.

“That way we can assure there would be no layoffs,” he said.

The lagging economy, declining property values and the projected loss of $3 million under Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to eliminate the personal property tax on businesses in Michigan create a formula of economic uncertainty for Warren and other communities in the near future.

“We don’t know what our financial picture is going to be down the line,” Fouts said. However, city officials expect collections from the billing of patients transported by Warren EMS rigs to hospitals, to rise.

Currently, Warren has 111 budgeted firefighting personnel. Having 129 with the SAFER grant “would be difficult for us to handle” after two years, Fouts said.

Four years ago, the city had 145 firefighters in the budget, but more than a dozen positions were vacant. Since then, manpower has dropped through attrition. When too few off-duty firefighters are available to be called in to meet daily minimum manpower requirements aboard fire rigs — common during deer hunting season and peak vacation period — fire engines are taken out of service for the day. Critics charge that policy hurts response times and risks public safety.

The grant, McAdams said, “should eliminate overtime call-ins for manpower shortages” and slash overtime costs which total approximately $500,000 a year.

Andary said the union learned last week that the city plans to accept the grant and he praised the mayor.

“I do believe he’s doing everything possible to keep city services at a high standard. Whenever there’s been a problem or concern in our department, he has addressed them immediately,” the union officer said.

Formal acceptance of the grant requires the approval of the City Council, following a recommendation from the mayor. McAdams said city administrators will review grant details and how the money would be spent, in a study session with council members.

The grant could create some political risk if FEMA rejects Warren’s amended plan for SAFER spending and demands that Warren hire 18 firefighters for 24 months. If officials are forced to lay off firefighters in 2015, they could face voter backlash from residents during the citywide elections that year. But not accepting the nearly $2.8 million — the grant award was first announced by U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow in late December — would raise eyebrows and anger the firefighters’ union.

In 2009, the Fire Department responded to 12,677 calls, including 9,500 EMS runs and 435 fires, according to figures provided by McAdams. Since then, the firefighters have been increasingly busier while their ranks have shrunk. Last year, the department handled 14,974 incidents, including 10,169 EMS calls.

The fire commissioner said new firefighters could be hired in early March. The current Civil Service Commission list of eligible applicants has 55 names. However, fire administrators wonder how many of those individuals are available. Waterford Township in Oakland County was awarded a SAFER grant of $7.67 million on Jan. 25 and plans to hire 39 firefighters.

“Normally, firefighters apply all over,” McAdams said.

In 2011, Clinton Township received $3.34 million during a round of SAFER grants.